1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game system, game providing method, and information recording medium, and in particular, to technology for providing a game to players based on real data or the like which changes with time reflecting phenomena that occur in real life, such as, for example, stock price data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various game software are known which feature stock trade. In such game software, the stock price data for the game is either pre-provided or produced in real time through a predetermined algorithm. The stock price data is then used as an evaluation criterion for the stock asset virtually owned by the players in the game space.
However, in the conventional game software, the stock price data for the game is merely a simulation of the real life stock price data, and the stock trade based on such stock price data is actually completely fictitious. Because of this, it has been difficult to really attract the interest of players.
This problem is not unique to game software relating to stock trade. For example, game software which features venture trade such as an exchange trade, a futures trade, an estate trade, and an option trade and game software in which the game result or progress of a sport such as baseball or soccer is predicted, suffer the same problem.
In order to handle such a problem, it is possible to consider a solution in which a game is provided to the players based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena that occur in real life (for example, the real life stock price data). However, this solution further develops the following problem. If the players compete for evaluation (such as, for example, total assets), a player who has been playing the game for a longer period of time will be given an advantage, and thus, there will be less fun for the players who join the game at a later time. If, on the other hand, a xe2x80x9clocal a systemxe2x80x9d is employed in which the game is reset at predetermined intervals, a problem occurs in which the timing to participate in a game will be limited. This problem is not unique to providing a game based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena that occur in real life, but also occurs in a case where a game is provided to a plurality of players based on common data which changes with time.
The present invention is perceived to solve the above mentioned problem, and one object of the present invention is to provide a game to players based on real data which changes with time reflecting the phenomena that occur in real life, and to provide a game system, a game processing method, and an information recording medium which can increase the fun level of the game.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a game processing method, and an information recording medium, in which a game can be provided to each of a plurality of players based on common data which changes with time, with less limitation on the time of participating in the game and in which a player can compete for evaluation regardless of the elapsed time of the game.
(1) In order to solve at least some of the problems mentioned above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game system for providing a game to players based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, the system comprising: real data obtaining means for obtaining the real data; current condition data storing means for storing the current condition data which represents the current condition of the players in a game corresponding to real life; and current condition evaluating means for evaluating the current condition data based on the real data obtained by the real data obtaining means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game providing method comprising: a real data obtaining step for obtaining real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life; a current condition data storing. step for storing the current condition data, which represents the current condition of the players in a game corresponding to real life, in a storing medium; and a current condition evaluating step for evaluating the current condition data based on the real data obtained at the real data obtaining step.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording medium for recording a program which causes a computer to execute: a real data obtaining step for obtaining real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life; a current condition data storing step for storing the current condition data, which represents the current condition of the players in a game corresponding to real life, in a storing medium; and a current condition evaluating step for evaluating the current condition data based on the real data obtained at the real data obtaining step.
In the present invention, real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, such as, for example, various market price data including stock price, real estate, exchange, and futures market, result or progress data of a sport, or weather data is obtained. A game space(virtual space)is provided corresponding to real life. Current condition data which represents the current condition of the player in the game space is stored. The current condition data is updated, for example, based on the game manipulation input by the players. The current condition data is evaluated according to the obtained real data. In this manner, a game can be provided to players based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, and thus, the fun level of the game can be increased.
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the current condition data is evaluated based on the most recent real data which is already obtained. In this manner, prediction in the real data which is used as the basis for evaluation becomes difficult, and thus, the fun level of the game can be further increased.
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the real data is market price data (such as, for example, stock price data) related to a venture target, the current condition data is data representing the venture target (such as, for example, stocks) virtually owned by the players in the game space, and the game system is configured as a virtual venture trading game system (such as, for example, a virtual stock trade game). In this manner, an attractive virtual stock trading game system based on the real life market price data can be provided.
(2) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game system for providing a game to each of a plurality of players based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, the system comprising: real data obtaining means for obtaining the real data; game participation receiving means for receiving game participation at an arbitrary timing from each of a plurality of players; current condition data storing means for storing the current condition data which represents the current condition of each player in a game space corresponding to real life; current condition evaluating means for evaluating the current condition data for each player based on the real data obtained by the real data obtaining means; efficiency information producing means for producing efficiency information for a player whose evaluation of the current condition data satisfies a predetermined condition, the efficiency information representing the efficiency of the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data for the player; and efficiency informing means for informing at least some of the plurality of players, of information based on the efficiency information produced by the efficiency information producing means; wherein each player competes for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data.
In the present invention, a game is provided from the game system to each of a plurality of players. The game system is configured so that the game participation is received from each of the plurality of players at an arbitrary timing. Moreover, real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, such as, for example, various market price data including stock prices, real estate, exchange, futures markets, and option markets, result or progress data of a sport, or weather data is obtained. Furthermore, in the present invention, a game space (virtual space) is provided corresponding to real life. Current condition data which represents the current condition of each player in the game space is stored. The current condition data is updated, for example, based on the game manipulation input by each player. The current condition data is evaluated according to the obtained real data. In this manner, a game can be provided to each of players based on real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, and thus, the fun level of the game can be increased.
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the current condition data is evaluated based on the most recent real data which has already been obtained. In this manner, prediction in the real data which is used as the basis for evaluation becomes difficult, and thus, the fun level of the game can further be increased.
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the real data is the market price data (such as, for example, stock price data) related to a venture target, the current condition data is data representing the venture target (such as, for example, stocks) virtually owned by the players in the game space, and the game system is configured as a virtual venture trading game system (such as, for example, a virtual stock trade game). In this manner, an attractive virtual stock trading game system based on the real life market price data can be provided.
In the present invention, efficiency information is produced for a player whose evaluation for the current condition data satisfies a predetermined condition, this efficiency information representing the efficiency of the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data of the player. Information based on the efficiency information is provided to at least some of the plurality of players. It is also preferable that the time period (in seconds, minutes, or days, etc.) until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data is employed as the efficiency information. According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the efficiency information calculating means includes means for storing the timing when each player started playing the game, and calculates the time period until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data based on the stored timing and the timing when the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data. It is also preferable that the number of the game operation done by the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data is employed as the efficiency information.
In this manner, the players compete with each other for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data based on the informed information, and thus, a game system can be configured having less limitation on the participation timing for the game and in which the players can preferably compete for evaluation regardless of the participation timing.
(3) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game system for providing a game to each of a plurality of players based on common data which changes with time, the system comprising: common data obtaining means for obtaining the common data; game participation receiving means for receiving game participation at an arbitrary timing from each of a plurality of players; current condition data storing means for storing the current condition data which represents the current condition of each player in a game space; current condition evaluating means for evaluating the current condition data for each player based on the common data obtained by the common data obtaining means; efficiency information producing means for producing efficiency information for a player whose evaluation of the current condition data satisfies a predetermined condition, the efficiency information representing the efficiency of the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data for the player; and efficiency informing means for informing at least some of the plurality of players, of information based on the efficiency information produced by the efficiency information producing means; wherein each player competes for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game providing method for providing a game to each of a plurality of players based on common data which changes with time, the method comprising: a common data obtaining step for obtaining the common data; a game participation receiving step for receiving the game participation at an arbitrary timing from each of the plurality of players; a current condition data storing step for storing current condition data, which represents the current condition of each player in a game space, in storing means; a current condition evaluating step for evaluating the current condition data of each player based on the common data obtained at the common data obtaining step; an efficiency information producing step for producing efficiency information for a player whose evaluation of the current condition data satisfies a predetermined condition, the efficiency information representing the efficiency of the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation of the current condition data of the player; and an efficiency informing step for informing at least some of the plurality of players, of information based on the efficiency information produced at the efficiency information producing step; wherein each player competes for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording medium for recording a program which causes a computer to function as a game system for providing a game to each of a plurality of players based on common data which changes with time, the information recording medium recording a program which causes a computer to execute: a common data obtaining step for obtaining the common data; a game participation receiving step for receiving the game participation at an arbitrary timing from each of the plurality of players; a current condition data storing step for storing current condition data, which represents the current condition of each player in a game space, in storing means; a current condition evaluating step for evaluating the current condition data of each player based on the common data obtained at the common data obtaining step; an efficiency information producing step for producing efficiency information for a player whose evaluation of the current condition data satisfies a predetermined condition, this efficiency information representing the efficiency of the player until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation of the current condition data of the player; and an efficiency informing step for informing at least some of the plurality of players, of information based on the efficiency information produced at the efficiency information producing step; wherein each player competes for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data.
In the present invention, a game is provided from the game system to each of a plurality of players. The game system is configured so that the game participation is received from each of the plurality of players at an arbitrary timing. Moreover, common data which changes with time (which includes, for example, in addition to the real data which changes with time reflecting phenomena occurring in real life, data which changes with time with no relation to the phenomena occurring in real life) is obtained. Furthermore, in the present invention, a game space (virtual space) is provided corresponding to real life. Current condition data which represents the current condition of each player in the game space is stored. The current condition data is updated, for example, based on the game manipulation input by each player. The current condition data of each player is evaluated according to the obtained common data. That is, the common data is used in common for evaluating the current condition data of the plurality of players.
In the present invention, information based on the efficiency information is provided to at least some of the plurality of players. It is also preferable that the time period (in seconds, minutes, or days, etc.) until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data is employed as the efficiency information. In this manner, each player competes for the efficiency until the predetermined condition is satisfied by the evaluation for the current condition data based on the informed information, and thus, a game system can be configured having less limitation on the participation timing for the game and in which the players can preferably compete for evaluation regardless of the participation timing.